The Rt. Rev. Filomena Teta Estêvão, Bishop of Bom Pastor, has secured a commitment from the Angolan government to restore calm in the Southwest African country, after violent protests in the capital, Luanda.
What began as a three-day strike on July 28 by taxi drivers in the oil-rich nation over rising fuel prices and deteriorating living conditions has left approximately 22 people dead, including a police officer, with over 1,000 arrested and more than 200 injured.
“As the first female bishop in Angola, and also as a mother and church leader, I was deeply shaken by the recent events, which have affected not only the church but families and society as a whole,” Teta Estêvão told The Living Church.
With salaries and services remaining stagnant, angry demonstrators have rallied around what is considered one of the largest protests the former Portuguese colony has seen in decades.
The bishop responded to demonstrators’ cries that they can no longer afford basic needs.
“I personally met with the vice president of the Republic of Angola, Her Excellency Dr. Esperança da Costa, to share concerns regarding the social impact of the crisis. Among other issues, we discussed the pain and fear experienced by communities across the country,” she said.
Teta Estêvão added: “According to the official communication I received, the situation is now under control, and efforts are underway to restore calm and public trust. We continue to pray and work for justice, peace, and the dignity of every citizen in Angola.”
According to the publicly funded Angola Press Agency, Teta Estêvão’s call for dialogue, greater justice, and equality was bolstered by a separate conversation the vice president had with the leader of the Evangelical Pentecostal Maranata Church, the Rev. Leoncio Mungue.
“If we [the church] cannot positively influence our environment, we must question our effectiveness,” the bishop was quoted as saying while calling for structure and collaboration.
She is also reported to have presented several projects to the nation’s vice president “aimed at promoting citizenship, protecting vulnerable groups, and strengthening social institutions supported by the church.”
The projects align with commitments Tete Estevão made on February 6 alongside Africa’s five other pioneering women in the episcopate—Dalcy Badeli Dlamini of Swaziland, Elizabeth Awut Ngor of Rumbek, South Sudan, Rose Okeno of Butere, Kenya, Emily Onyango of Bondo, Kenya, and Vicentia Kgabe of Lesotho—when they established the Centre for Anglican Women’s Leadership and Research in Africa.
The center seeks to equip women within Anglican churches and beyond in the next five years to model courage, wisdom, and resilience through leadership development, mentorship, advocacy for gender justice, and research.
The Anglican Church in Angola is part of the Province of the Anglican Church of Mozambique and Angola, whose current primate is Archbishop Vicente Msosa, based in Mozambique.
Angola also drew global attention last December when former President Joe Biden visited the country, cementing trade and security ties. It was his first and only trip to Africa as president.
An estimated 4 million Angolans were shipped to the Americas as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Jesse Masai is TLC’s East Africa correspondent, a longtime journalist and communications professional who has worked in South East Asia and the U.S., as well as in his native Kenya.
